Chapter 26: Take Him Down for Me

"My Lord!"

At this moment, inside the Prefecture Office of Changling Jun, a spirited old man was leisurely practicing calligraphy. His brushstrokes were fluid and graceful, possessing a distinct aura of power.

"My Lord!" A man dressed like a private secretary hurried in, standing at the doorway looking quite troubled; he opened his mouth several times, yet did not know how to begin.

"What is it? Stop stammering. Is it that wayward son again? Hmph, that wayward son, always causing trouble for this old man!" With a cold snort, the old man did not even lift his head, continuing to splash ink with his brush, clearly accustomed to such things.

"My Lord, it is the Young Master, the Young Master he..."

"Has that wayward son caused trouble again? Every time he causes trouble, he makes me clean up his mess. I have stayed here for so long without being promoted, all thanks to this wayward son. Now, my promotion is imminent, and he is still messing around. The scoundrel!"

The brush in his hand paused slightly, and the old man suddenly lost interest in continuing to write. He turned his head and said coldly, "He hasn't returned home for months; tell him to get back here at once!"

"My Lord, the Young Master has been killed in Baian County!" With a thud, he knelt down. The secretary who had come to deliver the message prostrated himself on the ground, burying his head between his arms, not daring to look up, much less meet the gaze of this old master.

Having known him for many years, he was all too clear about this old master's methods—they were truly lethal without a trace of blood. Relatively speaking, the foolish things the Young Master did were child's play; could those even be called matters?

It was just that of the father and son, one was calculating and deep, outwardly generous but inwardly ruthless, while the other was unrestrained and far too flamboyant.

"What?" The brush in his hand fell, ink splattering onto the snow-white rice paper, completely ruining the fine piece of calligraphy.

"My Lord, it was the County Magistrate of Baian County who dealt the killing blow. He claimed the Young Master was practicing an evil art, wantonly slaughtering thousands of commoners, and even ordered people to secretly chisel the river embankment, intending to trigger a flood to submerge villages and cover up his crimes. Afterward, he resisted arrest, so he was executed on the spot!"

"My son! The pain is unbearable, the pain is unbearable!" Clutching his own chest, which was aching faintly, the old man slammed his hand onto the table, and a cold murderous intent emerged. Suddenly, the old man who had appeared kind and benevolent transformed into a bloodthirsty, murderous butcher.

"Go, take my official seal to mobilize troops, and go bring him back to me. I want him to pay the price; I will make him pay in blood!"

"County Magistrate of Baian County! Shen Hengzhi! I will make you pay the price!"

"Yes, My Lord!" With his head lowered, the secretary hurried away. The way the master looked, as if he could devour someone, was truly terrifying. Thinking of the master's methods, he felt a chill run down his spine.

As the only son in the family, the Young Master had always been doted on by the master and his wife, and had been lawless since childhood. He had caused many troubles in the past, but this time, what he had done was too excessive; killing thousands of people was something no one could easily explain away.

But this County Magistrate of Baian County was also at fault—could he not have found a way to cover it up? Having offended the Prefect, did he think he would end up well? Did he really think being a good official was that easy?

The master had worked in Changling Jun for many years and was already deeply entrenched, with influence spread across every aspect. If the master said you were a good official, then you were a good official; if he said half a bad word about you, he could guarantee your life would be filled with obstacles.

Young people are just like newborn calves that are not afraid of tigers; they don't understand the ways of the world. Now he has ruined himself!

However, at this moment, Shen Yu was not at all worried about the suppression coming from the Prefect. Long before the news reached the prefecture city, Shen Yu had already submitted a memorial, describing the Prefect's son in the most deranged and insane terms possible.

Although a higher official can suppress a lower one, the Prefect's son slaughtering over a thousand people was bound to be a major case that would shock the world. No matter how great the Prefect's influence was, he likely wouldn't be able to cover this up.

As for wanting to cause him trouble, the old man himself was likely in danger of losing his own position.

Moreover, according to Zhou Yuan, this Prefect had initially served as the County Magistrate in Baian County; come to think of it, he was several predecessors before him. After his three-year term ended, he became a Prefectural Judge, and then the Prefect of Changling Jun; his speed of promotion was truly fast.

Shen Yu even felt that Cai Zhong and Feng Zhong were people of this Prefect. After all, these two were promoted by him when he was the County Magistrate in Baian County. Afterward, he had taken great care of them.

It was just that his son was a drag; when he was younger, the trouble he caused was small and the impact was not significant. But ever since he grew older, he had become completely lawless, causing trouble every now and then.

Even Shen Yu had to sigh that it was rare to find someone who could sabotage their own father to this extent.

Thanks to this son, the Prefect was often reprimanded, and it was only by sheer force of will that he had managed to stay in the position of Prefect for eight years. If not for his deep background, he would have been removed long ago.

But precisely because he had been there for a long time, and because he himself possessed high-level methods and was extremely calculating, he was deeply entrenched here, with influence spread throughout all of Changling Jun, and could be said to have the final say in everything.

It was also because of this that when Zhou Yuan heard the young master declare his identity, he had hurriedly stopped him. In Changling Jun, you could offend anyone, but you could not offend the Prefect. He had never heard of anyone who offended this Prefect ending up well.

However, Shen Yu would not indulge him. Having been spoiled to this extent, even the "Electro-Therapy Master" Teacher Yang probably couldn't teach him better. Since that was the case, he shouldn't be allowed to harm the hardworking masses any longer.

But then again, killing him actually earned him twenty years of Inner Energy through the sign-in system; it was worth it!

"My Lord, it's bad! A large number of troops have entered the city, flying the Prefect's banner! My Lord, I fear they come with ill intent!" Reporting hurriedly to Shen Yu, Zhou Yuan felt anxious in his heart.

He had known the Prefect would not let this go, but he hadn't expected him to come so quickly, and to have directly mobilized troops. This posture was one of life-or-death enmity!

"What is there to fear? When soldiers come, block them with generals; when water comes, cover it with earth. You go down first; I will go meet them!"

Without even lifting his head, Shen Yu continued to lean over his desk to approve official documents. For the past few days, heavy rain had been pouring down incessantly. Although their Baian County had luckily been fine, he heard that river embankments in other places had been breached, and it was estimated that it wouldn't be long before a large number of refugees flooded in.

Therefore, storing more grain was a necessary precaution. Shen Yu was working hard to coordinate supplies, ordering people to purchase large quantities of grain and fodder, so busy he couldn't even touch the ground.

It was also thanks to the all-out help from the families of Feng Zhong and Cai Zhong that their Baian County had enough silver and grain. Good people, indeed; even in death, they warmed the entire county.

As for that Prefect, Shen Yu didn't take him to heart. In this day and age, having big fists was enough to be tough; with his cultivation at the peak of the Postnatal Realm, what was there to fear?

At worst, he would just stop being an official!

Besides, having raised his son like that, it was hard to say if the Prefect could even keep his position. He had already sent his secret report upward; there should be a reply sooner or later.

"Bang!"

Suddenly, the gates of the County Government Office were rudely kicked open, and countless people swarmed in. Their murderous appearance was so blatant that they might as well have had "I'm here to pick a fight" carved on their foreheads. As soon as they entered, the leading secretary acted imperiously, his nostrils almost pointing to the rafters.

"Are you the County Magistrate of Baian County, Shen Yu?" He waved at the man who looked like a general beside him, then said coldly, "Men, take him down!"